


How to Cross an Ocean

by eafay70



Category: Football RPF
Genre: Alternate Universe - Non-Famous, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-05-12
Updated: 2018-05-12
Packaged: 2019-04-30 20:12:27
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,417
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14504604
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/eafay70/pseuds/eafay70
Summary: Kun and Leo grow up dreaming of playing football together. When fate sends Leo to Spain, Kun vows to keep that dream alive.





	How to Cross an Ocean

**Author's Note:**

  * For [kkslover9](https://archiveofourown.org/users/kkslover9/gifts).



> Hi! :D Thank you so much for giving me an excuse to finally write this fic!
> 
> Post-author reveal ramblings:  
> This fic was inspired by the real-life story of Luis Suarez as a teenager vowing to make it to Europe as a footballer after his sweetheart Sofia Balbi moved with her parents from Uruguay to Barcelona for economic reasons. I was originally going to make this fic much more melodramatic, but I wound up deciding to keep it simple.

The Lady of Luján Orphanage cared for any child left on its doorstep. The nuns who ran the orphanage wrote down the child's name and birthday in a large book kept on a shelf next to the bible.

This story concerns two such children. Their entries in the book, translated from the Spanish, read as follows:

 _Lionel Messi, given to us as a newborn on 24 June 1987. Named for characters in a novel Sister Celia finished reading on that day._  
_Sergio Agüero, given to us as a newborn on 2 June 1988. Named for recently deceased relatives of Sister Luna._

**

Leo and Sergio became best friends as soon as they were old enough to interact. In fact, Leo's inability to pronounce Sergio's name led to the nuns giving Sergio the nickname "Kun" in honor of his favorite cartoon character. Kun and Leo were practically inseparable, and Kun told anyone who would listen that he and Leo were going to be together forever. (Leo was shyer, so he just nodded in agreement with Kun's plans.)

Everyone in the orphanage loved football, which was appropriate since the orphanage was named for Argentina's patron saint. There was only one football, but the young residents managed to share playing time with little to no conflict. As time went on, Leo and Kun emerged as the best players by far - even the nuns admired the boys' skills! So it was no surprise that the two best friends began to dream of playing together in a big club somewhere, winning trophies and breaking records side by side.

Even though times were tough throughout Argentina, the nuns made sure their charges ate properly and stayed in good health. So when they noticed that Leo wasn't growing as much as the other boys his age, they decided to postpone buying new pots in favor of paying for a house call from the doctor a few towns over. After an examination, the doctor ordered various tests; he decided to cover the costs himself after seeing how worried Kun was that something was terribly wrong with Leo. 

The doctor returned a few days later with the diagnosis: growth hormone deficiency. Leo would need injections over a length of time in order to grow properly. The nuns looked very nervous, so Leo decided to ask if he would be able to play football without the injections. After thinking for a moment, the doctor said he didn't know - but perhaps a football club would pay for the injections if Leo joined?

Kun had no idea how to join a football club, so he asked the nuns; they didn't know, either, but they did suggest playing in the nearby public park, since scouts sometimes visited there. So Kun convinced Leo to join him in the park, where they played with whatever abandoned football they could find so as not to deprive the others of their only football. Once in a while, a grownup would ask them about joining a club, but Kun's explanation of Leo's needed injections always resulted in the grownup turning them down - times were just as tough for Argentine football clubs as they were for Argentine orphanages.

One day, a tall man with very nice hair came to the park while Leo and Kun were playing. He introduced himself as Pep; Kun asked why he sounded funny, and Pep explained that he was from Barcelona, a city all the way on the other side of the ocean. Leo informed Pep that he and Kun knew all about Barcelona - it was home to one of the greatest football clubs in the world! Pep laughed and asked if he could play with them for a bit, and the boys said yes.

Pep turned out to be very good at football, so naturally Kun asked if he played for Barcelona. Pep said that he used to play in the academy when he was a young boy like them, but now he was a scout for the club, looking for the superstars of the future. He then asked if the boys played for a club, which prompted Kun to give his usual explanation of the injections Leo needed but couldn't afford. Pep hummed in thought, then asked if he could meet the boys at the orphanage the following day; the boys said yes, and Pep said goodbye.

The following day, Pep came to the orphanage, greeted the boys, and introduced himself to the nuns. He explained that he'd spoken to his bosses back in Barcelona the night before and asked if he could bring Leo and Kun to Barcelona to join the academy, which would be able to pay for Leo's injections. His bosses said he could bring Leo and the club would cover the costs of the injections - but they said Kun couldn't come.

The nuns teared up at the thought of Leo and Kun separated by an ocean. Leo whispered that he didn't want to go without Kun, even if it meant no injections. Kun, however, shook his head and ordered Leo to go, since it was the best chance Leo had at getting the injections. With a wobbling lip matching Leo's, Kun got the bible from the shelf, placed his hand on it, and solemnly vowed to make his way to Spain as a footballer in his own right so he and Leo could be reunited someday.

And so, within a few days, Leo was on his way with Pep. Everyone in the orphanage was sad to see him go, even though Pep gifted them some new footballs and enough money for the pots that still needed buying. Kun didn't stop crying for several hours, and Leo didn't get a wink of sleep until he and Pep reached Barcelona. Much as the best friends understood that this was for the best, it was the hardest period of their lives.

**

After Leo left, Kun got straight to work on joining a football club. He scoured the newspaper for information about different clubs, attended lots of try-outs, and was eventually accepted by Independiente. It was another sad day when he said goodbye to everyone in the orphanage, but he played his heart out and reminded himself of his goal: to join Leo in Spain.

Kun and Leo wrote each other regularly. Leo told Kun all about Barcelona, including how Pep treated him like a son and helped him with the injections. He didn't tell Kun that he was starting to think about boys the way most boys thought about girls, or that most of his thinking about boys centered around Kun. Similarly, Kun told Leo all about Independiente, including the infectious nature of the fans' support, but he didn't tell Leo that he dreamed about boys most nights, or that the boy in his dreams was usually Leo.

Unfortunately, despite Leo and Pep advocating on Kun's behalf, Barcelona expressed no interest in Kun. Not even news of Kun receiving an offer from Atlético de Madrid could convince Barcelona to look at Kun. Nevertheless, Leo was very happy for Kun, not to mention secretly grateful that the offer hadn't come from the other capital city club. 

Kun, of course, accepted the offer from Atlético right away. It had been six years since Leo's departure for Spain, and Kun couldn't wait to be in the same country as his best friend once again. He was overjoyed when Pep suggested that he and Leo visit Kun in Madrid when he got there: it wouldn't be a long reunion, but it would be more than enough.

When the day finally arrived, Pep didn't bother saying anything; he simply stood to the side so Kun and Leo could hug. The hug lasted several minutes, and while Pep couldn't see their faces, he was fairly certain they were tearing up just like he was. Leo couldn't stop himself from telling Kun in a soft whisper that he loved him, which prompted Kun to sigh in relief and tell Leo that he loved him, too. As always, Kun was louder than Leo, so Pep heard the second confession, inferred the first confession, and loudly walked into the hallway, at which point Kun kissed Leo passionately.

Between Pep treating Kun like another son, Leo and Kun dating within the confines of their schedules, the orphanage receiving regular donations from all three of them, and the success both Leo and Kun found on the pitch, it can be said with certainty that they all lived happily ever after.

**Author's Note:**

> Kudos and comments make me happy!


End file.
